8mm
Posted on 06/26/2008 4:44:28 PM PDT by wagglebee
PHOENIX, AZ, June 26, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Tuesday, the State of Arizona passed a bill known as "Jesse's Law", which will help protect incapacitated patients from being euthanized. The new law, inspired by the ordeal of Jesse Ramirez, closed a loophole in the decision-making process for patients who are physically unable to communicate their wishes regarding medical care.
House Bill 2823 establishes a court process to obtain an emergency order to prevent a surrogate decision-maker from withdrawing the administration of food or fluid from an incapacitated patient.
Jesse Ramirez was seriously injured in a May 30, 2007, car accident. Barely 10 days after the accident, Jesse's food, water, and antibiotics were withdrawn. He was then transferred to hospice where he would have died. Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorneys, however, were successful in restoring food, water, and treatment to the young Gulf War veteran.
"Human life is valuable in its own right, and everyone deserves the chance to recover," said ADF Senior Counsel Gary McCaleb. "This law ensures that seriously injured patients will not suffer the consequences of a hasty decision that could result in death by starvation or dehydration."
Ramirez, who was eventually transferred from hospice care to a rehabilitation facility, walked out of the facility in October 2007, and continues his remarkable recovery at home.
The Center for Arizona Policy promoted the H.B. 2823. The full text of the bill is available at http://www.telladf.org/UserDocs/HB2823.pdf.
That ANYONE would even think otherwise is deplorable.
Pro-Life Ping
People come out of these so called lifeless states all the time.
Ping!
I wonder how Florida will react when more and more people retire to a state that won’t facilitate their murders.
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I agree.
Shoot me in the head or cut my throat, just don’t starve or dehydrate me to death. Man, talk about your cruel and unusual punishment. We don’t even treat dogs that way.
Slow starvation in conjunction with dehydration is cruel and unusual.
We don't even treat scum of the earth, captured terrorists that way.
And it is ILLEGAL to treat a CHILD RAPIST this way.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Good for Arizona!
Good to see that someone finally sanded the slippery slope.
Do you think the Supreme Court would recognize that evolving standard? /sad sarcasm.
And what sad commentary that we're only now coming to recognize this. Well, some of us already knew that so I suppose we need to take comfort in the progress.
Can you imagine the uproar if the worst of the criminals were executed in such a manner? Groups are already whining the lethal injection is too cruel for serial killers.
In most states you'd go to jail for doing that to an animal. What a perverted world we live in.....
“Slow starvation in conjunction with dehydration is cruel and unusual.”
It is if you’re not dying. There does come a time in the dying process that food and water are no longer desirable. With the bodily processes shutting down of their own accord, food and water isn’t wanted.
I extremely glad this law has been passed and that this soldier was kept from an untimely death due to apparently greed and stupidity.
Amen to AZ!
There’s an example of the “mood of public opinion” for ya. Thank the Lord! Now that Arizona has done it I bet other states will copy it. Great news!
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